Girl Talk

Mapping Intimacies ◽

10.28971/242013bc21 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Carey Bledsoe

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Advisory Group ◽

Caring Community ◽

Social Constructs ◽

Latina Students ◽

Social Success ◽

Urban Middle School ◽

One Year ◽

Academic Year

This dissertation is a qualitative study of an all-girls’ advisory in a coeducational, urban middle school located in a mid-sized city in the northeast. The advisory group met daily over the course of the 2010-2011 academic year. Drawing from data collected over one year of fieldwork--including participant observation, analysis of discourse, dynamic interviews, and the analysis of social constructs --this study explores how a group of mostly African American and Latina students created a caring community in order to increase their academic and social success.

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Affiliation With Antisocial Crowds and Psychosocial Outcomes in a Gang-Impacted Urban Middle School

The Journal of Early Adolescence ◽

10.1177/0272431615617292 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 37 (4) ◽

pp. 559-586 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

David Schwartz ◽

Andrea Hopmeyer ◽

Tana Luo ◽

Alexandra C. Ross ◽

Jesse Fischer

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Psychosocial Adjustment ◽

Grade Point Averages ◽

Grade Point ◽

Urban Middle School ◽

Self Reports ◽

Peer Nomination ◽

School Records ◽

Academic Year

This longitudinal study examined the psychosocial adjustment of adolescents who affiliate with antisocial crowds in a gang-impacted urban environment. We followed 405 adolescents (219 boys, 186 girls; average age of 11.51 years, SD = .61; 84% Latino, 9% Asian, and 7% other or unclassified) for one academic year. These youth attended a middle school located in an economically distressed neighborhood with documented high rates of gang violence. We assessed crowd membership with a structured focus group procedure. In addition, we administered a peer nomination inventory to assess aggression and social standing, obtained self-reports of depressive symptoms, and derived grade point averages (GPA) directly from school records. Adolescents used gang-related imagery to describe antisocial crowds in their school, referring to “cholos” and “taggers.” Membership in these crowds was associated with aggression and low GPA but, paradoxically, predicted small decreases in depression and increases in popularity over time. Taken together, our results highlight the complex role of affiliations with antisocial crowds in high-risk settings.

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“Sometimes I Wish I Was a Girl, ’Cause They Do Shit Like Cry”: An Exploration Into Black Boys’ Thinking About Emotions

Urban Education ◽

10.1177/0042085920933327 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 004208592093332

Author(s):

Johari Harris ◽

Ann C. Kruger ◽

Edward Scott

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Focus Groups ◽

Urban Schools ◽

Social Emotional Learning ◽

Black Boys ◽

Social Emotional ◽

Social Success ◽

Developmental Framework ◽

Urban Middle School ◽

And Control

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is important for academic and social success, yet responsive SEL for Black youth remains underexamined. The current study analyzed focus groups to investigate how Black boys ( N = 10) in an urban middle school think about emotion and its regulation. Results revealed that participants negotiate tension between emotion expression and control; they argued that inhibition of emotions in public was essential, but they desired greater emotional freedom. We interpret these patterns through the developmental framework of accommodation and resistance. We discuss implications and the need for transformative SEL in urban schools serving Black boys.

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“We always tell them, but they don’t do anything about it!” Middle School Black girls Experiences with Sexual Harassment at an Urban Middle School

Urban Education ◽

10.1177/0042085920959131 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 004208592095913

Author(s):

Johari Harris ◽

Ann C. Kruger

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Black Women ◽

Sexual Harassment ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

School Administrators ◽

Black Girls ◽

Urban Middle Schools ◽

Safe Spaces ◽

Urban Middle School ◽

Women And Girls

Black women and girls are frequently left out of narratives on sexual harassment/sexual violence due to pervasive racism and sexism. Schools contribute to this silence by continuing to overlook the exceptional needs and experiences of Black girls. Therefore, this qualitative study used an intersectional lens to examine Black girls’ experiences with sexual harassment in an urban middle school. Results indicated participants experienced both physical and verbal sexual harassment and felt their concerns were largely ignored or/or minimized by teachers school administrators. Recommendations for creating safe spaces for Black girls in urban middle schools are provided.

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